I'm going to tell y'all, that cover Anne Cain did is just the best thing I've seen in a while. So go drool over the cover (like I have) and make sure to check the novella out on DsP's Coming Soon page. After reading the blurb, I have to say this is going on my TBR list lol!

~M

* * * *

Let me start with an apology: I
didn’t mean to start an Unending Winter.

The Winter Lord is about a land
that has fallen into an Unending Winter because of a curse placed on its fey
ruler. I toyed with it here and there for months, but when I really hunkered
down and got to work on it, it was the middle of summer. My beloved old Volvo
240 was acting up, forcing me to take the bus more often than not, and in my
Midwest city that meant hauling my laptop and assorted other writing gear
around in 90˚+
weather whenever I dared leave my tiny apartment. Therial’s realm was a
soothing relief from my everyday life. I submitted the novella to Dreamspinner
at the end of August, with the real world’s winter still a few months away,
never thinking that it was eerily prescient.

Oh my goodness what a winter! Perhaps a little of the blame could go to a
certain queen in a certain movie, but as I sat at my desk going over edits I
couldn’t help but wish Erik would hurry up and break Therial’s curse. My
apartment is on the ground floor, right on the foundation, and the chill coming
up through it forced me to wear big goofy slippers that my ferrets would steal
the moment I took them off. One of the local weathermen started building ice
sculptures with green screens to do his broadcasts. It seemed like the schools
were closed more than they were open. It wouldn’t stop snowing, and it never
got warm enough to melt!

But finally, in fits and starts,
spring won out. Even though we had a little bit of snow just last week, on Tax
Day, this week is all sunny and 60s. Has the curse been broken? Let’s hope so.

Blurb:

When Erik, a human scholar and
amateur mage, sets out to find Alfheim, the legendary home of the light-elves,
he has nothing to lose. His village suffers under a mysterious Unending Winter,
and his lover died in a hunting accident while trying to find food. Erik wants
to find a way to end the cold, but he doesn’t expect a beautiful but
Winter-cursed fey lord who wants him for his champion—and his bedmate.

Lord Therial is an elemental
creature, tied to the land, and the elves of his kingdom revere him like a
spoiled but rightful ruler. A spell cast by a rival fey locks him and his
little corner of Alfheim into a perpetual Winter that seems connected to the
one afflicting Erik’s home. If Erik fails to defeat the enemy, both realms will
remain trapped forever.

Excerpt:

“Don’t worry. I’m not a harsh master.” Therial sat on the edge of the bed. “But I could use someone like you here. I will give you power, of course. You’re familiar with magic, as much as your kind can be. I can feel it inside you. Accept my pact and I will give you all the power of my frozen little corner of Alfheim.”

Erik closed his eyes. “And what if I decline?”

“You don’t want to do that, my dear handsome Erik. I’d hate for you to die out there in the snow.”

Erik looked up, but Therial’s smile had not faltered with his veiled threat. Would it be so bad, really, giving himself over to this impossibly beautiful creature in return for such power? Erik’s heart ached to think of what Rowan would make of such a bargain, but Rowan was gone, and with him a part of Erik himself. “I’ll accept your offer.”

“I’m so glad to hear it.” The fey leaned forward and placed a frozen hand on Erik’s chest. “I’ll need this, of course.” Tendrils of cold worked their way under Erik’s skin from Therial’s slender fingers, so cold they froze the breath in Erik’s chest, but despite the pain of it, he fought the urge to push Therial away. When Therial lifted his hand away, it held a sapphire the size of a grape. The fey examined it, approval in his cold silver eyes. “Mmm, lovely….”

Erik closed his eyes, suddenly feeling light-headed, empty, and cold. “What is that? What did you take from me?”

Therial tucked the amulet away in a fold of his robe. “It’s your soul. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it safe. I left something of myself in its place to protect you in my domain.”

Before his words had time to sink in, Therial leaned over again and pressed his lips against Erik’s, pushing them open with a tongue that no longer felt deadly cold, merely chill. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you power. For now, I’ll show you pleasure.” Therial laughed. “I always did want my own human.”

Jaye Edgerton lives in Columbus,
OH, with three ferrets and a long-suffering best friend-slash-roommate.
“Eccentric” is a nice way to put it. In addition to fiction, she writes about
geek culture for her local alt-weekly. She likes her fluffy happy romance to be
about men and her serious dark fantasy to be about women—she’s contrary that
way. Before deciding to take her writing seriously, Jaye spent a cumulative
five-and-a-half years working in bookstores, used and otherwise. After that she
spent seven years in tech support where she mostly wanted to cry a lot, but the
experience encouraged her to chase her dream of being a professional writer
instead of just writing dirty vignettes about her Dungeons & Dragons
and World of Warcraft characters that she showed to all of two people.
She’s much too fond of office supplies, out-of-print sci-fi/fantasy authors,
and Transformers.

About Me

Hey and welcome to my M/M blog!
My published name is M.A. Church, but I also wrote as nomoretears00. I'm a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now I spend my days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding my numerous shifters, or trying to tempt my country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it! When not writing, I'm exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching my beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if I'm not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two grown children.